Mount Kenya


Kenya, Mount,

or

Mount Kirinyaga,

extinct volcano, central Kenya, just south of the equator. Its highest peak, Batian, reaches 17,058 ft (5,199 m), making Mt. Kenya the highest mountain in Africa after Kilimanjaro. In the heart of Kikuyu country, Mt. Kenya was a focal point during the Mau MauMau Mau
, secret insurgent organization in Kenya, comprising mainly Kikuyu tribespeople. They were bound by oath to force the expulsion of white settlers from Kenya. In 1952 the Mau Mau began reprisals against the Europeans, especially in the "white highlands," claimed as Kikuyu
..... Click the link for more information.  disturbances (1952–56). The Kikuyu, Meru, and Embu people cultivate Mt. Kenya's fertile lower slopes. From 5,000 to 15,000 ft (1,524–4,572 m) are dense woodlands inhabited by elephants, buffalo, and leopards. Snowcapped Mt. Kenya has several glaciers in its uppermost regions. The national park is located there and Mt. Kenya attracts many mountain climbers from around the world.

Kenya, Mount

 

a volcanic massif in East Africa, below 0° 10’ S lat., the second highest mountain in Africa (Batian Peak, 5,199 m).

Mount Kenya rises in the form of a truncated cone from a lava plateau lying to the east of the East African Rift Zone. From its foothills to an elevation of 1,200 m are found equatorial rain forests; higher (up to 2,000 m), within a moderately hot zone, lie plantations of coffee, sisal, and bananas. Mountain rain forests cover the slopes to 3,000 m, and high-mountain equatorial meadows extend to 4,800 m. Beyond is a zone of permanent snow and ice. Descending along the slopes are 15 glaciers, up to 1.5 km in length. The summit and surrounding areas have been set aside as a national park (Mount Kenya Park).